Opportunities for Vietnam
A report by MakeMyTrip - the leading online travel booking platform in India, shows that the demand for overseas travel of indians continues to remain high during the peak period of late 2025 - early 2026.
Booking data from late December 2025 to early January 2026 shows that Indian tourists are increasingly prioritizing short-distance destinations, while being willing to spend more on accommodation, applicable to both resort tourism and pilgrimage tourism.
Vietnam is the destination with the most notable change in ranking, increasing from seventh place last year to fourth place this year.
According to the Statistics Office, the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam increased from 392,000 in 2023 to 507,000 in 2024, and reached nearly 656,000 in the first 11 months of 2025, an increase of more than 47% over the same period.
This is a strong growth rate compared to before the pandemic and makes India one of the 10 fastest growing source markets for Vietnamese tourism.
Mr. Rahul Bali, producer of the movie Bollywood Love in Vietnam, said that when choosing an international destination, Indian tourists often prioritize factors such as safety, distance, beautiful scenery, cuisine, friendly people, reasonable costs, convenience for visa applications and ease of communication.
Due to the concept of attaching importance to family values, family-friendly destinations are even more highly appreciated by indians.
According to Mr. Rahul Bali, Vietnam fully meets these criteria with attractive cuisine, diverse hotel systems, affordable prices, friendly people and many people who can communicate in English.
At the same time, one of the important reasons contributing to attracting Indian tourists is the relatively favorable visa policy. From August 15, 2023, Vietnam will implement convenient e-visas and focus on promoting flexible visa issuance forms, helping to reduce entry barriers for international tourists, including India.
In addition, direct aviation connections between Vietnam and India have expanded significantly compared to before, helping to shorten travel time and facilitate short-term travel.
There are currently about 100 direct flights per day between major cities in India and destinations such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. Domestic and international airlines plan to expand flights from cities such as New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnamese tourism promotion activities in the Indian market in recent years have been carried out methodically, with international roadshows, fairs and cooperation programs between businesses of the two countries.
Not only that, some localities have also proactively promoted this potential market. For example, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has organized a tourism introduction program in India and participated in the ITB India 2025 International Fair to increase reach for tourists in this market.
In parallel with promotional activities or traditional promotional programs, Mr. Bali commented that film production cooperation between the two countries is also an effective promotional channel.
He gave the example of Bollywood who has filmed in Singapore, Germany, Thailand, New Zealand and helped increase the number of visitors to these countries significantly, while expecting Love in Vietnam to create a similar effect when released to the public.
Competition for the share of Indian visitors
Despite recording high growth from the Indian market, Vietnam still faces great pressure from other international destinations.
According to MakeMyTrip statistics, Thailand has surpassed the UAE, the US, Malaysia... to become the international destination most booked by Indian tourists for the holiday season at the end of 2025. The advantages of short distance, short flight times and a 60-day visa exemption policy with an electronic entry card are factors that help Thailand make a strong breakthrough.
Thailand's tourism industry is confident of attracting 2.2 to 2.5 million Indian visitors this year, setting a new record for this market.
Meanwhile, Malaysia is expected to welcome about 1.5 million Indian visitors in 2025. Malaysia has recently extended the visa exemption policy for Indian citizens until December 31, 2026.
Not only destinations in Asia, but even Russia is looking to create more favorable conditions for Indian tourists by implementing visa exemption policies for tour groups.
In the context of more and more countries competing in the Indian tourist market, the Vietnamese tourism industry needs to continue to improve the quality of infrastructure, products and services to maintain growth momentum and improve position in the region.
